Dearth of data, let alone updated and accurate data, has often been cited as a problem by researchers critically impeding assessment of various socio-economic situations in the country. While there is no denying this fact, it is also almost impossible to frame policies based on actual ground realities by the government. This rather unpalatable situation pertaining to data availability and accuracy is not new, and hence questioning the veracity of many of the macro-level findings on which policies are framed is also not uncommon.
Lack of updated data or data mismatch is often alleged to render macro planning and budgetary exercise difficult. It is alleged that a good deal of allocations and projections in the national budget are based on conjectures, and not on valid or near-valid data. No doubt the national budget here is a glaring example given its crucial importance to the country's macro planning for the entire fiscal year. While it is the key pointer of all economic aspects on the basis of which plans are to be framed at various levels, absence of data, even provisional data, reflects the speculative nature of our planning at the highest level.
Evidently, unreliable and conflicting data are potentially capable of misguiding policy planners. This, experts hold, is because data produced by the government's Planning Division and Statistics Division as well as other key divisions differ significantly. Conflicting data can wreak havoc as they are likely to misdirect decision making on the part of the government and render research findings grossly erroneous. Relevant quarters are of the opinion that lack of coordination among different agencies of the government is primarily responsible for data anomalies. Besides, there are plenty of fields in the economic, social and industrial arena where extensive efforts are required for creating comprehensive data base. Data on arable lands, industrial lands, livestock, productivity in various primary and manufacturing sectors as well as on a diverse range of social and healthcare-related issues constitute a major requirement for pragmatic planning and policy formulation of the government. Equally important, if not more, is their requirement for various development activities undertaken by non-government organisations (NGOs) and foreign donors.
Experts have opined that in the time of the pandemic, there has been a substantial change in the poverty levels of low income groups in the country. There has also not been enough data collection related to the pandemic situation from government organisations. However, data collected, though not on a comprehensive basis by some think tanks suggest that poverty rate has increased, and that there has been a big crisis in the labour market - including urban to rural migration and increased pressure on the rural job market. In the absence of data, small enterprises in the informal sector have suffered most and have received the least amount of support during the pandemic. So, addressing the problems of people losing employment or income can hardly be expected to be addressed without reliable information.
Not only the poor have become poorer with a drastic rise in the poverty rate, there are also groups of people all over the country who can now be termed 'new poor'. The government has no data on the new poor, and hence allocating funds or providing support in kind is likely to be difficult, unless well synchronised efforts are in place to enlist these people on an emergency basis.
A study released recently by the country's lead think tank Centre of Policy Dialogue (CPD) has reiterated the crucial need for data (accurate and updated), especially in framing policies relating to financial matters. The study says a poor state of availability of and accessibility to fiscal data fails to ensure transparency and accountability. It notes that accuracy of the data has been repeatedly brought under scrutiny since different sources publish different figures for the same indicator. "Accuracy of fiscal data in Bangladesh has been repeatedly brought under scrutiny as different sources published different figures for the same indicator and same source published different figures for the same indicator over time," the study report says.
The CPD published the study report titled 'Fiscal data in Bangladesh: Issues and Challenges' at a virtual dialogue held last week. The study was conducted aimed at providing an assessment of fiscal data ecosystem in Bangladesh, identifying its challenges and contribution to decision-making, leading to promoting openness and transparency of the reckonings on fiscal matters.
"Improvement in the area of fiscal data would require considerable political will and a change in the mindset of core actors," said the keynote paper presented at the event, which further emphasised the need for a big push from the demand side, particularly by policymakers, including the elected public representatives, for producing adequate and authentic information on fiscal matters for right policymaking.
The CPD study found no institutional mechanism or data protocol to ensure timely delivery of accurate and accessible fiscal data, while the best use of existing resources such as the iBAS++ remained untapped. In order to address these issues, the study report suggested strengthening inter-and intra-agency coordination and appointing dedicated personnel to carry out data-related activities. Stressing vigorous use of the iBAS++ system, the CPD says monthly reports of budget implementation based on budget documents titled 'Combined Demand for Grants' and 'Consolidated Fund Receipts' should be prepared based on iBAS++.
There are important cues that the concerned authorities can take from the aforementioned study so that the core issues of data availability and authenticity can be taken up as a major task to ease policy planning, maintaining accountability and transparency.
